


Technophobia

by GoatBazaarofFics, KimsyWims



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Humor, M/M, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Science Fiction, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-01-04 04:30:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18336212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoatBazaarofFics/pseuds/GoatBazaarofFics, https://archiveofourown.org/users/KimsyWims/pseuds/KimsyWims
Summary: Kirkwall is the crowned Jewel of the Free Marches, an impressive space-port home to many travelers. But corruption spreads like a virus, and it will take technopath to cure it. Fenris just wishes Anders wasn't that technopath.





	1. Chapter 1

Some days, Fenris felt as if he was living in some kind of terribly made movie. Every day he saw new stupid things, people doing idiotic crimes just because it was fun, because they could get a thrill, because they're bored. Either way, he was constantly suffering others' stupidity. Today was no different from another. 

This thought must have been among the dumber he'd ever been to check out. There had been talk about AI cats. Robot cats with illegal tech. They behaved like normal cats. Hissed, clawed. Chased mice. But were more aware. Another stupid crime. But here he was, having a damaged AI cat, following Hawke who claimed he knew just the place to get it safely either deactivated or fixed. Fenris wasn't so certain, but he trusted Hawke. 

The place he's being led to isn't exactly impressive, but Fenris simply keeps his mouth shut while holding the box with the very angry sounding AI. 

"Anders? Anders are you here?" Hawke calls aloud.

_ Hawke calls for you.  _

"Yes, Justice, I have ears." 

The Darktown Mechanic was a healer to robots and cyborgs alike. With AI implants embedded into his head, enhancing his technopathy, Anders was the man for tech support. The lights were off in his repair shop, with several holographic illuminating his workspace. He was enhancing his gun. And it was his own gun. Not only was the plasma rifle his invention, it only responded to his mental touch. Varric had Bianca, he had Vengeance. Justice hated the name for the weapon, the straight forward AI saw it as an insult. 

"I'm in the back, Hawke!" he called. 

_ Why do we consort with this slaver? He owns a dog against the creature's will! _

Anders sighed and rubbed his temples. The issue with Justice was his unnecessary commentary. He ignored the AI's rantings and switched the lights on as the door opened.

This place gave Fenris the creeps, and a slight ache in the brands all across his body, which was rarely a good sign. The brands that most people dismissed for edgy tattoos, were, in fact, no such thing at all. 

Fenris had not chosen to have them, Danarius, a vile monster of a man had bestowed them on him with great pain, Fenris couldn't exactly explain what they were, it was some kind of advanced tech branded into his skin. Nanites maybe, Fenris didn't know and didn't fully want to know. 

Anyway, the brands reacted when there was a lot of AI tech around, nothing visible, but they started to ache dully. The robot cat had been a slight agitation, but there was clearly more here. 

"We have a gift for you!" Hawke calls cheerfully

Fenris wasn't sure if he could agree with his friend that this broken bot was a gift... but he decided against arguing. Perhaps it was just a way to get this man to take the bot. 

"Anders! My favorite tech support." Hawke practically coos as they step into the room where Hawke's friend/ contact were. "Anders, this is Fenris, Fenris, this is Anders. Fenris has a broken down bot on his hands, care to take it off him?" Hawke asks cheerily as before. 

Fenris holds up the box, that keeps hissing and bleeping weirdly. "Someone made an illegal cat AI. It malfunctioned."

Anders raised a brow. Elves were rare in this part of space. Most stayed in the Dales sector. But this man had a Tevene accent. And his tattoos weren’t normal. Nanites were carved into his flesh. He hummed of wires and electricity. His song was beautiful. 

Fenris was beautiful. 

Anders flashed a cocky smile, wanting nothing more to flirt and get to know the handsome elf but the box pulled his attention more. “Here let me take look at the little guy.” Lifted the box and pulled the cat out. The cat stopped hissing and nuzzled against Anders’s shoulder, purring instead. He was missing an ear and his tail was nothing but a stumpy nub. 

Anders held him close, sensing the frayed wires, the dents in the fiberglass, the missing gears. The cat was used in illegal fights. Justice sprain forward, enraged. 

_ We must avenge him!  _

“Poor guy, I can fix him up,” he said, pushing against Justice’s boiling wrath. “Why don’t you two take a seat. I have dried meat rations and bourbon.”

Fenris, who would have preferred to just... leave the cat here with this man and hope it wouldn't show up in his reports again; eyes the door for half a moment as if he would make a beeline run for it. 

But since Hawke accepts far too eagerly and drops onto a chair, Fenris gives up a small sigh and simply sits down on another, trying not to touch anything. He didn't want to accidentally touch something that would make his markings flare up in anger over it being something pure tech. 

"You might as well try to deactivate it." Fenris sighs, knowing full well the whole circus around fighting AI animals. "It will be on my desk until someone is willing to take it off my hands and I will not bring it to my home." 

Shelters didn't accept fight animals, and this particular one was vicious... against Fenris anyway, it seemed perfectly happy with Anders. Perhaps Anders could simply keep it if he insisted on fixing it rather than deactivate it. 

"Fenris, we can't deactivate it!" Hawke exclaims loudly. "Anders, you like cats, how about you get a cat! I would, but we all know Barkspawn would eat the poor guy."

“Of course I’m going to fix him up!” Anders said. The cat nuzzled against his jaw. It wasn’t comfortable like the soft fur of a normal cat, but he adored how cuddly the kitten was. “Mr. Wiggums will be easy to fix up. He’s a lot sweeter than my last cat. Pounce swatted the snout of a Darkspwan once!”

Hawke heard this story before, Anders. Justice chastised. 

Anders wished Justice would shut up for once. He didn’t need commentary all the time. 

“So what else brought you here? I know you, Hawke. If you want me to rig up your ship again, the answer’s no. It’s insulting to look at,” he quipped. “Fenris, have you seen it? Tell me it isn’t the most hideous piece of junk docked in Kirkwall?”

Hawke pouted at that, honest to the maker pouted. Fenris knew how weirdly attached Hawke was to his ship though, so he supposes he wasn't too surprised. Hawke had this other ship he had his eyes on, but it wasn't cheap at all. Fenris doubted he'd be able to ever afford it. 

"I have seen it... if you count it as a ship." Says Fenris, a small smile tugging a little on his lips. 

"You two are no fun. It just needs a little tweaking, please? I brought  you a robot cat Anders." 

"I believe I brought the devil cat." Fenris points out, leaning back on his chair. "And I also doubt it is counted as a service. That cat is a menace."

Fenris truly wasn't looking forwards having to bring it with him back to the station. He was really hoping Anders would just be kind enough to take it off his hands... especially since he'd apparently named it. There was hope still. 

"Okay fine, I really did come to ask you for help though, Anders. You know that expedition you've been condemned as suicidal?"

Anders waved his hand. “Whoa, whoa! There’s so much to unpacked! Mr. Wiggums is a sweetheart, what do you mean he’s the devil?” He asked. He ignored the violent hiss and swipe the cat made at Fenris. He wheeled a vicious glare at Hawke. “Oh, no. I told you I want nothing to do to with Deep Space again. I did my time. I fought darkspawn with The Warden. I came to Kirkwall to escape that life. I’m not going back.”

"I mean that he hates everyone except apparently you," Fenris said though he's a little bit amused that Anders takes such offense over Fenris calling the cat a bad name. "We only picked him up because he nearly tore someone's arm off." 

Nearly, the cat hadn't actually torn it off, and it had been a prosthetic so it hadn't been anyone getting hurt. But still. The cat was a vicious little thing and Fenris wouldn't trust it in his apartment even a little bit. 

"Oh come on! Fenris is coming, aren't you Fenris?" Hawke says, using his biggest puppy eyes. 

"Hawke, I too told you this was dumb." Fenris reminds with a little huff. But he knew he'd join if Hawke honestly asked him. "Your bribery system is very strange Hawke." 

"Fenris, you're cute, Anders is all about cute stuff," Hawke said wiggling his eyebrows, making Fenris groan and shake his head. "Besides, what would I do without my favorite tech support?" Hawke asked, again using those puppy eyes, but this time on Anders.

“You’d be dead.” Anders hated the nickname. He preferred healer or doctor. It’s what he was. He healed machines and people. With his special elfroot grenades and bullets, Vengeance could heal any injuries in moments. He knew was invaluable to Hawke, but he hated Deep Space and didn’t trust Varric’s brother.

He stood, putting Mr. Wiggums on the table. He grabbed his rifle and sauntering tool. He leaned against the edge, barely glancing up from his work. “Look, I know you helped me out with Karl.” The name was poison on his tongue. He would not think about him. “But I gave you holomaps. You can't use Fenris’s cutenesses to make me come.”

It took a brief moment before Anders realized what he said. It started as a simple chuckle, then his body began to shake. He set his gun down and covered his mouth, trying to contain himself. He held himself up with his hand.

_You’re terrible and you should be ashamed of yourself._ Justice was unamused as always.

If Fenris would have been drinking or eating, he'd be choking right now because that cannot possibly be how that was meant to come out. Not even a little, also, Anders breaks out laughing at it as well, so that's what Fenris assumes. 

Not that he can really help that his ears are burning a little though. Not ashamed of course, but because... well, that was quite an implication. 

Fenris wasn't a prude, but he hadn't had sex in a long time. Not that he was imagining sex with Anders! They had just met and Fenris still was trying to make up his mind about how he felt for him. He was still on the fence. 

Tech people tended to put Fenris on the edge, after his past, how could it not? But he trusted Hawke, and Hawke was clearly friends with this man and while Hawke's friends all were quite a pack of misfits, they were still good people of what Fenris had seen. So, Anders had some set of credentials of being a good person right there. 

"Are you sure about that?" Hawke asks with a grin. "It'll be fun Anders, won't at all be the same without you!"

"I am not going to make anyone come... this way or otherwise." Says Fenris with a little shake of his head. "I did not expect to meet someone who had spent time there before however, I thought it was only the wardens that ventured there." The protectors of the galaxy.

Anders calmed himself. “I am a Warden,” he said, his smile quickly dying. He hated talking about the invasion, the betrayal. “I served on the Amaranthine with Warden Surana. I was a senior officer, mostly because all the other medical personnel died at Ostagar.”

Saying the commander’s name warmed Justice. He hummed with delight. He was quite fond of the tiny elf. Anders was too but didn’t stop the onslaught of bad memories that came associated with Surana’s name.

He swallowed. “Look, Hawke, I need to think about it. Bertrand isn’t an easy guy to trust and you don’t want to get stuck out in deep space.”

"We won't, but you think about it." Hawke agrees, looking at the cat that is currently glaring death at Fenris. "Can you fix him? I mean, to be a more normal cat? If you can't take him, maybe Merrill will..." 

"If you have a home for it, it would make my job easier." Says Fenris with a little sigh. He could have the paperwork up in no time, seriously. He just really didn't want the damn cat with him back home. 

He couldn't just leave it at the office, an AI cat running around among all the papers and things like that? No, that wouldn't work out. But Fenris took no joy in the idea of being forced to have it at home. If Anders or Hawke could fix it a home? Then that would be perfect.

“You two don’t listen. Of course, I can fix him up. I’ve named him already. The Wardens made me give up my old cat, so it’s nice to have a new one,” Anders said. “Justice might not like him here but I don’t always listen to him anyway.”

The cat will need work, but he was positive Mr. Wiggums would love it in the shop.

Fenris wasn't sure who Justice was, but roommates weren't exactly unusual. Fenris was looking for a roommate himself. But that's beside the point. 

"Then, would you mind filling your name on this document?" Fenris asks, standing up, pulling his right hand up to open up the multi-tool, easily pulling the signing form up for when they had animal cases. "Just sign on the line, it's an agreement that you will take the cat for the nearest time. I'll have to return with the full adoption papers next week." 

He patiently waits for Anders to open his own multi-tool to accept the transfer of the document so that he could properly sign for it.

Anders stared down at the documents and then to Hawke. “You didn’t tell him?” He questioned. He scowled and crossed his arms when the rogue looked away, whistling. 

And here’s the part Fenris hates him forever like everyone else. “I can’t sign it. I’m a technopath. I'm not allowed to own anything. Everything in this shop is illegal. It’s why you’re in Darktown. I’d figured Hawke would tell you before he brought you here.”

Fenris nearly fell over whatever was behind him as he took an impossibly large step back from the technopath. Then he snaps around, glaring death and destruction at Hawke. "You didn't tell me." He snaps sharply. 

Then he simply stalks out, he'd just tell Aveline the damn cat got shot down or something. He wasn't staying around. And truly this... this was an overreaction Fenris would see so himself later, he might even feel obliged to apologize. But for the moment, another raging feeling was taking command over rationality.

Fear. 

Hawke stands there a little stiffly, just watching Fenris storm out, sighing. "I'm sorry Anders," Hawke says. "I really thought he'd be fine since he'd seen how normal you were..."

Anders’s cheeks were blazing hot, red from anger and hurt. He expected Fenris to hate him, fear him even. But the reaction was a slap across the face. Any positive feelings he had toward the elf were gone. 

“Normal? So what? Others of my kind aren’t normal.” He snapped, turning his ire on Hawke. “How can you hang out with a technophobe prick!” He screamed loud enough for Fenris to hear. “When you’re own sister is a technopath? Get bent, Hawke.”

"Anders." Hawke didn't shout back, he understood the anger, he really did. But he also understood Fenris dashing. He should have probably planned this better. 

"He's an escaped slave from Tevinter." He was blunt, getting to the heart of the matter. "His master was, still is, a technopath. He did those... marking thingies on him…”    
  
“Liquid nanites. Or lyrium, if you want the scientific term,” Anders cut in.    
  
“Right, lyrium,” Hawke muttered. “Look, he’s fine with Bethany. Likes her even, he just doesn't really know how to deal with her at times. If you let me go and talk to him, I'm sure he'll be back to... apologize." 

It was pretty clear that Hawke wasn't at all sure Fenris would actually apologize for for his reaction. 

Anders didn’t let Fenris’s past waiver his conviction. “And my person-hood stripped away from me because of what I am. And yet,” he looked around, mocking surprise, “I don’t hate normal people. Funny how that works.” 

He turned his back on the man. “I got work to do. If you want to convince the bigot that more than one technopath isn't a monster, go ahead. I won’t stop you.”

 

Hawke sighed, leaving Anders with the violent kitten. He ran after Fenris, hoping all his friends could get along. But between Aveline and Isabela, now these two, he knew it would be rough. At least things will always stay interesting. 


	2. Chapter 2

It took Fenris three days before he showed up on Anders' address again. Hawke had talked to him, but that hadn't really given much. But Fenris knew he couldn't simply ignore the technopath forever, no matter if he wanted to or not. He was Hawke's friend and odds were that they were going to be forced to work together.

Slow and reluctant, he called out to the "Anders?”. His hold on stapled onto papers tightened. The adoption papers for the damn stupid cat, all filled out and ready for Anders. Yes, it was under his name, but Hawke helped out with Anders’s information.

Anders was lounging in his shop, sleep at the edges of his mind. Mr. Wiggums was curled on his lap, his tail and ear replaced. All signs of his fighting days were gone. It was if he was newborn kitten fresh off the assembly line.

The knock startled him awake, jumping  brought him the edge of anger. And the familiar voice is pushed him off the edge.

_Calm yourself. You’re being irrational. We should help Fenris, not be angry at him_. Of course Justice took Fenris’s side. Traitor.

He sighed. “The door’s unlocked!” He called. “Come in.”

Fenris hesitated another moment, then sighed and opened the door and went inside. The place pulled at his brands just as the last time. Nothing painful, just a slight dull ache. Now he wasn't so sure it was the place and not actually... well, Anders. But Hawke claimed he was a good man. And Hawke was right most of the time. Sometimes.

He stormed through the dirty backroom. Over the crossing wires and broken computers and tablets.The longer he stayed, the further the pain spread.

"I... this is yours." He said, not apologizing and not saying hello. Fenris wasn't there to make friends, just to put them on acceptable terms.

He placed the adoption paper on an empty space on the cluttered desk and crossed his arms. He looked to Anders, hoping to find the right words. The blond held no answers, except a weary contempt in his eyes.

Fenris had practiced his speech , but now that he was here, he was a lost for words. His dying cactus was prickly than Anders.

"The cat is yours. Legally." There. Bluntness was good. And he wasn’t lying. For the most part.

Anders rolled eyes and snatched the papers from Fenris. “Great joke.” He snarked and moved out of the way fro Fenris to come in. “Hawke brought me an apple pie last night. He then informed me you like apples, something about them not growing on any of Tevinter’s planets. Do you want a slice?”

He didn’t think Fenris would accept the offer, but he might as well be nice. And he wasn’t doing it because Justice told him too.

_Lying to yourself is unjust._

"I don't... understand." He didn't get the joke, the cat was Anders’s', as legally as it could be for someone like him.

But, Fenris decided it wasn't the time to argue or complain, he would simply leave it if that was what would be best. He didn't... just come here to smooth things over for Hawke's sake, there was another reason.

"No, thank you. I already ate." He says, not unkind. He simply was not ready to eat with this man. He barely ate what Hawke gave him. "I came to request if I could pay for your... assistance in a case."

Anders folded his arms. “You want my assistance? On a case? Me, the technopath?”

He looked around his back room for Mr. Wiggums. “Hey, what do you think? Should we help the broody asshole?” He asked. The robotic cat’s scathing hiss and dart across the room to hide in a box was his answer.

“Wow, that was harsh,” Anders muttered. He glanced at Fenris, a steepish smile spread across his face. “You don’t understand android right? Cause I’m sure your mother was a lovely woman.”

"I don't know who my mother was." Fenris said, voice sort of a void of emotion to keep it from causing further issues.

"There is a case, we are hoping to avoid further death by having someone like you that can help us." He couldn't give details unless Anders agreed of course.

There was Bethany but Fenris refused to bring her into this she was young and kept under the radar. Both himself and Aveline had kept her firmly out of any paperwork or if her name came up, those accusations had just ran out into nothing.

"If you do not want to, I will leave and not bother you further while you... speak to your cat."

Anders leaned further onto his chair, hands behind his head. He contemplated if he should help.

More and more androids were coming to him over the overpriced mechanics on the higher levels of the ship. It wasn't just AI either. Once word got around he was a doctor for the Wardens—he would need to yell at Varric for spreading that secret—he saw influx of humans, elves, and dwarves. Even Qunari came to see him, leaving their hatred for technopaths at the door. It left his shop-turned-makeshift-medic busier than normal and he was grateful Hawke never brought Aveiline and now Fenris to that part of his hide-away-hole on the station.

But he had assistants Lirene, Wil, Franke, and when Hawke allowed it, Bethany were there to help out when he needed it.

And Fenris must be desperate if he was seeking aid from him.

"Alright, I'll help out. Just tell me I'm not raiding some poor technopath's home because it's the Maker's will,” he quipped.

Fenris shook his head. "There has been a strange increase in artificial intelligence that has been corrupted. People and AI are being harmed in the process.”

Anders heard about the corruption. With most his patients being androids or cyborgs, he had a few come in with the virus. Most of the military and Chantry officials didn't care. They thought it's only a problem if it spreads to their computers and AI maids. But viruses do _spread_ and they lived on a giant computer. It was everyone’s problem.

"I know what you're talking about," he admitted. "A patient of mine had a prosthetic arm. She lost control and choked her. We had to remove it. I still have it. Justice and I have been tinkering with it for weeks now. We're just worried it will affect us."

"Officials don’t want us to keep digging..." It was a big red flag for both himself and Aveline. This was terrible issue, a crisis in the making, and they were being told to stop searching for the reason? It was more than just AI who were becoming corrupted. The problem laid deeper. It might go beyond the station’s walls. Someone who wanted to see the Free Marches fall, perhaps?

"Hawke is doing what he can to help, but we need more than what he can give. And he has a family to think of.” Not to mention his terrible expedition out into Deep Space. “There is only so much we can do without a technopath and since none want to aid us…”

"We can provide a safe platform to work from, Hawke will be there as well." Mostly because Varric was the one who'd set them all up with a room to work in and Hawke loved being involved in... everything. “And...I also have another issue you could solve.”

Anders raised his brow, indicating for him to continue.

Fenris’s eyes flickered to the side. He scratched at his arm, wishing to dig out the nanites that burned his skin. Why did he flee to a giant computer again? “My apartment is one the higher levels, it’s more expensive that my cop salary can allow me to afford. I know you have the means to help pay for rent, but can’t own your own apartment.”

“Yes.”

The abrupt answer took Fenris off guard. “What?”

“You want a roommate, I need a place to live,” he said, shrugging. “I’m tired of waiting everyday for authorities to find me and force me to relocate or worse, they send me out an airlock. You need a roommate, I need a room.”

“Oh,” he said. He forced a cheery smile, and by the confused grimace on Anders’s face, he probably looked psychotic. He dropped the grin and cleared his throat. “Good. Grab what you need and we can go.”

"Right, I think before we go to your place.” Fenris swore and turned back around. He was so close.

“We do need to talk.” He sat forward, head bowed. You weren't happy last week when you found out about my abilities. You need to know about Justice if you're going to trust me."  

"Look, I know your lyrium is sensitive to technology but it would make me feel better if we stayed a bit longer. Justice is a...private matter."

Fenris nodded, but was reluctant. Truly he understood the need for privacy. It was just his skin was crawling. He wanted to leave now. Anders’s backroom wasn’t just filled with technology, it was the fact he was in a room buzzing a technopath’s electricity. His nanites pulsinated with life in here. They screamed to be connected with Anders.

He wouldn't mind being connected with the blond.

He licked his lips. "I am willing to listen." Which is a pretty huge step from the person he'd been just a year earlier. He'd have dragged Anders to where he belonged... now though, he wasn't so sure prison was the right place for innocent technopaths.

Anders tapped to the side of his head. "When I was in the wardens, we came across a woman. Baroness she called herself. Crazy lunatic, gave my kind a bad name." he paced as he told Fenris the story only a handful of people know about. "She was brilliant too. She made an illegal robot, advance AI tech. She modelled him after a dead officer. He was basically her slave...in every sense of the word."

Justice shut himself from the conversation and cut himself from Anders. Old memories resurfaced for the AI. 

"We rescued him, gave him a better name than the series of numbers, and Justice was part of our tiny army." he paused, expecting questions.

Fenris sat quietly and simply listens, it was the least thing he could do, hear Anders out and hear why there was an AI in his head and why Anders didn't seem to have an issue with that when he really should have. Anyone should have.

"But why is he in your mind?" He asked. Anders hadn’t introduced him to any Justice, nor did Hawke warn him of Anders’s creepy robot friend. And in Tevinter, techies put AI chips in their minds all the time. He could understand the first part, saving an AI. He wouldn’t have, but he could understand someone else having the naïveté to risk their life for one.

Anders flinched, he couldn't help it. he wasn't expecting Fenris to guess.

"Okay, I'm getting there," he mumbled. He rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck. "So the wardens. Commander Surana, technopath and half cyborg. More machine than elf to some. He was called away after the invasion to the Anderfells. 'Vints been given my people crap lately, it makes sense they call in their best. I was supposed to go with him but I was sent to Orlais instead. Where I went, Justice went. Pounce was like Mr. Wiggums. AI cat.  And the Orlesains hate robots. They're only servants at best."

He took a deep breath. "They also hate 'paths like me.  I already lived through that kind of bullshit before in the Ferelden sector, and I wasn't about to go through it again. We had a plan, Justice and I. I would put his chip into Pounce until we can find another body for him and escape.  But my new commander took Pounce, crushed him as if wasn't a living creature.” his hands balled into fists, his nails digging into his palms. The memory of holding Pounce's mangled form made his eyes burn and throat dry up. "I wasn't going to lose another friend.”

So Anders' bond had been out of trying to help a friend, that was... if true a more commendable act than just wanting the extra power an AI could give, which was the usual reason people did it.

"Then I apologize for my behavior upon leaving." He says, at least he could do that much. He wasn't condoning it, but he could more wrap his head around why, even if he wasn't willing to fully trust neither Anders or his Justice AI. "I have a bad past with technopaths and AI." He wasn't willing to go into details. Not until he knew Anders better.

"If we are to work with each other and live together, there will be conditions. Neither you or your AI can pull on my brands."

Anders relaxed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, did you miss Justice's name? The fact he was a slave to Technopath? You don't need to worry about him or me. Trust me," he assured.

He began getting ready, strapping his rifle to his chest and grabbing his elfroot grenades and poisons. "So can I get some conditions here? Or is the fact you aren't cuffing me  and shooting me through an airlock all I get?"

"No, I have mine, I assume you have yours." Fenris says. He wasn't a bad person himself, and if he was allowed conditions, he had to agree to the other having them. As long as they weren't unreasonable... but he doubted they'd be. If they were, he'd just leave, so no harm in hearing them out.

"If any of these conditions are Hawke not bothering you while we work, we both know not even the maker himself could grant that."

Anders swore. "Dammit! I thought you'd have that kind of power." He grabbed his bag and pulled Mr. Wiggums from his hiding hole. "In all seriousness, everything I said, no one else knows. Not even Hawke. Aveline can't know about this period, okay? Or Bethany. She's got that budding relationship with some prince and frequents the Chantry with him. I know she'll tell him and Hawke, and Hawke will tell Varric and Merrill and if you know those two, then my secret won't be safe."

"I won't say a word." Fenris said and meant it. Justice will be kept between them. That is, until Justice decided to start killing everyone in sight.

"Great! As far as Hawke knows, Justice is one of my computer programs," Anders said. He jumped up and began to pack.

"We should go. I have a shuttle not to far from here."

Despite everything, this place still gave him an ache in his brands and all he wanted was to get to a place where he knew he'd not be forced to feel that ache anymore. "May I ask something?" He just did, so he may as well continue. "Do you also live here?"

When he was sure he got everything he needed he led Fenris and Mr. Wiggums outside and locked his door. He was confident no one would come in and disturb the place. "If you're talking about my shop, than yeah. This is where I live for the moment. I had to move twice due to raids, but this is the longest I've been in one spot. My chair is where I sleep at. It's not comfortable, but I slept in worse places."

_It is certainly better than the dumpster we lived in for six months._ Justice returned, dredging up bad memories. _You should ask Fenris if he had slept in a dumpster. Maybe it explains his foul mood from the other day._

Anders snorted. "Oh Maker," he muttered, “I’m not asking him that.”

Anders was clearly communicating with his AI mentally and that was not a comfortable thought for Fenris. But he kept it to himself. No reason to poke the bear if it could be avoided, particularly if it was robotic bear who could rip a short elf in two like him.

He simply nodded to Anders. Fenris had expected as much, and honestly he wasn't too surprised. Technopaths weren't allowed to actually own their own places. Even Fenris had had a hard time to get his apartment due to his markings. It was even harder to find a decent roommate.

"It seems... comfortable enough." He decided. “And the devil cat isn’t allowed in my bedroom.

Anders barked out a harsh laugh and ignored the slight against his angel kitten. He tucked a loose strand behind his ear. “Yeah right! I haven't had a decent night's rest since I worked at the whore house in red light district—oh I'm sorry, 'escort' service." he put it in air quotes. "By the way, don't be shocked if we get stopped by drunk sailors if we're in the docking bay. Half my clients live in this area.

Fenris frowned at the thought. Anders was once a prostitute? He hoped the drunkards and thugs who used to pay for Anders’s services didn’t harass him

Anders packed two bags. One for his clothes, mementoes, and cosmetics. The other, was reserved for his weapons and first aid kit. “Mr. Wiggums, get out of the box, we’re leaving!” He called for the robotic kitten.

Mr. Wiggums crawled from out of his box, stretching and yawning. He waited by the door, giving Fenris a bored glare. He meowed loudly. “Yes, yes, I know he doens’t like you,” Anders called, “but we’re living with him now.

“Will you two stop talking about me?”

Anders glanced over his shoulder, hunched over his small fridge. He grabbed his apple pie, everything else can stay here for long days at the clinic.

He swung his rifle over his shoulder and grabbed his bags. He balanced the desert on one hand.  "I'm pretty sure Hawke wanted this to be a peace offering between us... _roommate_ ," he sang the word.

"Hawke made you pie?" Fenris asks confused, but he shook his head free of the image of the human in an apron.

“Yeah, I offered you a slice earlier,” he said. He put his bags down and lightly tapped Fenris’s head. “I thought you elves had great hearing?”

Fenris swatted away Anders' hands like an angry cat and gives up a slightly disgruntled noise. He did have perfectly good hearing, he just sometimes forgot tiny details when he had far more important issues on his mind.

"Well, if you are done?"

“Yeah, yeah,” he said. He grabbed his stuff, annoyed the elf wasn’t going to help and led them out the door. Mr. Wiggums took the lead when he had to stop and lock the door. They trailed behind the cat, which turned out to be a good thing. Mr. Wiggums’s eyes lit up the ground, highlighting torn panels and thick wires. Back hallways leading to the docking bay were dimly lit. No point lighting all of Kirkwall.

"Did you truly work as an escort?" Fenris asked after a moment of silence.

Why he found this so surprising, he isn't entirely sure. It wasn’t that he found sex work disturbing or disgusting.

He grabbed his bags and balanced the pie in his hand. “Yeah, I was an escort. I might be out of your salary range though if you can’t afford your apartment.”

"Keep dreaming I’d find you interesting." Fenris muttered, head turned away. He knew Anders was pretty. Damn pretty, gorgeous even. But Fenris wouldn't fall for technopath. He refused too. No matter how tall Anders was. Or how golden his hair was. Or how is amber eyes sparkled when he laughed. Or how the corner of his lips wrinkled when he smiled. Or…

He needed to stop dwelling on the stupid techie and focus.

After a few sharp turns, they made it to the wide open bay. Fenris had his blaster at the ready, knowing full well he couldn’t didn't just wander about Kirkwall without something to defend himself with. Pirates and bandits were common in even the sanctuary of the Chantry. Here? They festered worse than open wound.

Anders hummed quietly, ignoring the bubbling panic and anxiety. There were four docking bays. One was for the military, one for the nobles, and two for everyone else. The bay closest to Darktown was dangerous. With Fenris, he felt safer, but he was still an easy target. And he rather not waste the pie.

“So!” He hated the quiet and being loud was a good way to counter the silence. “How did you come to Kirkwall, since you know my story. For the most part.”

"I got tired of running from my former master. This was where I managed to find Hawke, with him I had a chance to fight his thugs."

Before that, he'd pretty much been flying all over space, just trying to escape and get the hell out of Danarius' way. Some days he was still attacked by slavers, but he was making a stand and Hawke was more often than not, helping him.

"It was simply the first place I stopped running and made a home." A not so very clean home, Fenris wasn't there very much so dust layered up. He'd have to tell Anders to wait outside for a minute once they got there.

“Totally understand. Between the Wardens, the Chantry officials,...my old pimp, I’ve been chased all over space. Despite being a trading hub, Kirkwall has been safe,” he agreed.

_Anders, there are two men behind us. I believe they have friends down the alley on our right. One is an android. And thank you for jinxing us once again._ Oh shut up, he thought back. Him and his stupid timing. 

"Safe is one word for it." Fenris said, with amusement, because he wouldn't call Kirkwall.... safe. "My shuttle isn't far now." He didn't miss the others following them. 

“Right, we should get there soon...” he muttered. His nerves were on fire. The men were approaching them quickly and he couldn’t respond.

A figure bled from the shadows. he wrapped his arms around Anders’s middle, causing the pie slip from his hands. Justice flickered, threatening to take over, but Anders pushed against the Ai, recognizing the man who grabbed him.

“Cormack,” he said, tone casual.

“Anders! We missed we you at the Rose.” The burly man was more human than elf, but the slight pointed features and shorter statue highlighted his heritage.

Fenris' hand went straight for his rifle, half ready but not pulled. In a situation, he was the one who had the law on his side, which was more than Anders could say. He also wasn't very amused at all since they had places to leave. But his other hand had reached out and caught on to the pie, skillfully balancing it. Years of serving Danarius’s friends came in handy it seemed.  

“Unhand Anders now." he demanded, voice even with a hint of annoyance.

Cormack spared a glance at Fenris and snapped his fingers. Several of his thugs, ranging from elves and dwarves, stepped out from the corners.

“Oh Maker, you and your merry band of idiots are going to kidnapped me,” Anders cackled. He slept with one guy and now he rounded up thugs to take him and do Maker’s know what to him.

“Kidnapping applies you’re a person, techie,” he sneered, smug. “I filed the right papers. You and I are going to Orlais.”

The words hit Fenris hard. Slavery. This man made Anders a slave.  

His lyrium nanites flared. he slammed his hand through the nearest thug. a bulky woman, and removed her heart in instant. With lightning speed, he drew his blaster from his hip and shot two men approaching him. They collapsed. Their blood spread across the metal floor, mixing with the fallen apple pie.

"KTPD! let go of him, i will not ask you again." He growled. "I am also. This technopath is currently under my responsibility, so I suggest you let him go, right now. Or there will be more death." Not only was he pissed because they were slavers. But these bastard ruined his pie

Anders’s heart pounded in his chest. Fenris easily took out those men easily. And his nanites.  

Cormack’s throat bobbed, definitely terrified, but not deterred. “You think your glowing trick will scare me?” He asked.

Justice couldn’t stand by anymore. The air filled with electricity, cackling around them. He surged forward with a snarling growl. “How about mine?”

Justice lifted Cormack off the ground, his hand firmly around Cormack’s throat. The man gasped and clawed to get free.

Apparently Fenris wasn't the only one Hawke and Varric could call glowstick. 

He stared down down Anders. No. This wasn't the flirty technopath. This was _Justice._  They didn't quite have the same voice, which was strangely comforting. Now Fenris knew he wouldn't have to wonder when Anders was the one speaking to him or if it was his AI.

In any other situation, his gun would be on Justice. But he kept it trained on the slavers. "I suggest you all of you surrender,” he said.

"No.”

Justice took pleasure in the man's struggle. His terror. The way the muscles in his neck contracted. It went against his original programming. Never harm a mortal. To be obedient, no matter what injustices and horrors people inflicted on one another. what they do to him.  But he wasn't the same Justice anymore. He grew.

"This one dies." He snapped the man's neck, the pop echoed in the empty hanger bay.Anders

 


	3. Chapter 3

Fenris was torn between alarm that the AI had just killed someone, but happy to see the slaver dead. Though that didn’t stop him from leveling his gun at Anders’s face. An Ai that willingly killed people was dangerous. 

“Bring Anders back, now.” He growled out the demand. 

A part of him knew he was being a hypocrite. He had just killed two people, but he was driven on no behest of an AI. He had control. He wasn't so sure Anders had that control.

Justice let go of Comrack's body, allowing it to crumple to the floor. He cocked his head to the side. He ignored the other thugs, allowing them to flee. Mr. Wiggums emerged from his hiding hole to hiss at Fenris.

"Why are you aiming your gun at Anders's face? Are you two not friends? Is it because the pie is ruined? This is an extreme reaction, Fenris,"  he chastised the elf.

"He said nothing about you taking over." Fenris snapped. Fasta vas! He invited the murderous AI to live in his apartment! He should have known better! "What is to stop you from killing me when I sleep?" 

"Let me speak to him." Fenris had lowered the gun a little, but it was still at the ready.

"Why would I kill you in your sleep? That is unjust. You are a terribly rude little man for suggesting I would," Justice said. He glared down at Fenris, wishing to have nothing to do with the elf. 

He retreated into Anders's mind, offended by Fenris's accusations.

When Anders came to, he crossed his arms and stared daggers at Fenris. "What's stopping you from ripping my heart out in my sleep?" _ Inform the elf he needs to surgery to remove the object stuck in his butt.  _  "Justice wants you to remove that stick from your ass."

"I am in control of my abilities." he bit out through gritted teeth. “Which was more than I can say about you and your AI.” 

He turned away from the technopath, groaning. What did he get himself into? He knew there were good techies out there. Bethany Hawke was one. He thought Anders was as well. He should have left the blond’s clinic the moment he said he had an AI chip in his brain. 

But its too late now. They needed Anders, regardless of his little friend. “Forget it! The section of Kirkwall is dangerous, as we already learned. My ship isn’t far.”

"Yeah, yeah." Anders muttered under his breath, "ass." Before picking up his stuff and trotting after the moody elf, Mr. Wiggums running after him. 

"Can you look into who the fuck sold me?"  He asked, easily catching up to the shorter man. "I'm not on the market and I don't want old clients to think I am."

"I'll look into it when I go into work in a couple days. We’re going to be late meeting the others, we’ll drop your stuff first." He'd already planned on who tried selling Anders. Technopaths had virtually no rights in Chantry owned space. On Orlais, techies they were sold like elves are in Tevinter. In Kirkwall, they had more options, but each one could still end them in the Gallows. 

Maybe he'd do what they'd done to keep Bethany and Merrill out of trouble. Merrill had been easy, the Dalish didn't really show up on any papers at all, so no one had a real ability to actually know who was a techno' and who wasn't thus selling or buying was impossible. And while Fenris doesn’t know who, apparently Bethany found a guy to agree to ‘marry’ her to keep her out of the circle. Much to Hawke’s horror. 

"These men, how did you meet them? The brothel?" He wasn’t certain he heard correctly. The Rose was...an interesting place. It was centered on one of the smaller hubs attached to the main station. 

Anders sighed. Why did he felt he was walking on the edge around Fenris. “Yeah, the brothel. Cormack,” he spared a glance at the dead man before following Fenris. “He was one of the more violent patrons. He only fucked us techies. He was never kicked out because techies aren't people. And being Orelsain, I think he had sense of entitlement. Pompous bitch.” He muttered. 

He cast a sideways glance, “this happens more than I like. Whoring myself is what of the few things I’m legally allowed to do. I’m a bit worried the woman I used to work for when I was in the Circle will come after me again now that I’m not with the Wardens. Could you keep an eye out for a Rylock?”

"Rylock, I could do that." Fenris then keep quiet for half a moment, before giving up a small sigh. "There is one thing I can do to make certain this will not have a repeat." 

Anders wouldn't like being forced into a fake marriage, but it worked. 

"I have... surpassed the law a few times before with technopaths. You are moving in as my roommate, as soon as you have a firm address, I can rewrite some things in your files."

“Really?” Anders’s brows shot up. “Why? You don’t like technopaths? You don’t like Justice,” he pointed out.  He was grateful, but suspicious of Fenris’s motives. Why would he help him out after everything that happened? 

“Look, if you want something from me, the answer is a maybe. You are cute.” He winked. Flirting always made him feel better. 

Fenris rolls his eyes at Anders. "I will help you because you are a friend of Hawke's and he claim you are a good man. Nothing more." 

Fenris doesn't really like technopaths, but he had seen enough that the way they were treated was not... approvable even from him. He helped, because the situation reminded him of the slavery of Tevinter. 

"You will have to be part of my household. So don't be thankful until you have heard what it would entail. I can only tweak the laws but I cannot step over them. You would have to be part of my family for this to work. Officially, on paper and nothing more."

“If you mean I need to clean and cook, yeah I figured,” Anders snorted. They finally arrived to Fenris’s shuttle. It was certainly better than Hawke’s ‘ship’. The sleek, black shuttle was narrow and bullet shape. Resembling most police vehicles, it did differ in that was smaller. “Believe it or not, I’m a fantastic roommate. If you weren’t a dick to Justice he would tell you.” 

_ You’re a terrible roommate and your singing while you shower will damage the elf’s ears.  _

Anders scowled, aghast his Ai turned on him. “Who asked you?” He demanded. “I have voice of a bird!” 

_...a dying bird... _

"I mean you and I will be married. On paper,” he repeated. “We would have to be partners since you aren't the age of adoption. And you can’t pass as my sibling.”

It would be a trying time, living with Anders, but this would... turn out okay, he hoped. At the very least, it would be interesting to see what'd happen. He wasn't about to be best friends with Justice though. He would be perfectly content if he only had to deal with Anders. 

"Yeah, yeah. I get it," he muttered. He tossed his things in the back of the shuttle. He picked up Mr. Wiggums before turning to Fenris. "If we're going to be fake dating, I went chocolates and brandy for our first date! And I expect we go somewhere fancy! I have a pretty red dress I never get to wear." 

He couldn't hold in his snickering. He loved teasing Fenris.

"On, paper." Fenris says short, almost growling. He was not taking Anders out on actual dates. If he wanted to wear a... "You have a red dress?" Damn, he did not plan to say that aloud. 

In fact, he would love to see Anders in a red dress, any dress. Anders was way too fucking pretty for his own good and Fenris had desires of his very own. It was no secret that he preferred men, even if he was bisexual. And Anders in a dress? That would either be hilarious or gorgeous. Either way, Fenris would enjoy himself.

Fenris liked men did he? The way his ears perked up, his eyes widen, his cheeks flushed. It was obvious. 

"I do," he said, taking a step in Fenris's personal space. "It's one of the few nicer clothes i own. It comes right here to my thigh," he gestured to show how short it was. "Its split on the sides," he drew his finger up his thigh. "And a generous low neck."

He twirled a strand of loose hair. "Sadly, I don't have anything to wear underneath and end up wearing nothing." He offered an innocent smile, "but I'm sure you wouldn't want to see me in something like that."

Fenris’s eyes widen and he blushed. His ears twitched a little and perked up like Hawke's silly mabari. And his mouth ran dry, forcing him to lick his lips. He had once been able to suppress all his emotion, but after years of not having to, he had a hard time keeping them contained. 

"Just get into the shuttle." He snapped. He slipped into the driver's side  and away from the techie. He tried not to think about Anders in the dress, or how tight his pants became. Ultimately, he failed and he slammed his head against control panel. 

Anders bit the inside of his mouth to keep from cackling like an old witch. Living with Fenris will be the best thing to happen to him. He obeyed and crawled into the shuttle, Mr. Wiggums hopped onto his lap. 

_ You are deplorable,  _ Justice spoke up after a moment, 

You're jealous I'm going to get hot elf ass and you're not. If Justice could roll his eyes he would. 

Fenris didn’t give him time to adjust. He fired up his shuttle and took off from the tiny docking bay to the open space. Kirkwall wasn’t just one massive space station. It was collection of stations, connected by catwalks. At the heart of Kirkwall, was the military force and the Chantry. Which was one in the same in his completely unbiased opinion. Kirkwall was built like a spider, it stretched and connected like a web. Some parts were weaker. The hubs further from the center were in disarray. Or they looked pretty. and they functioned. But they were dingy and dirty. It was opened for the criminal underbelly the Viscount pretended didn’t effect Krkwall. Hubs labeled Darktown didn’t get luxury of the artificial night and day cycle Hightowners and even Lowtowners received. Anders was given a lovely view of the planet below. Kirkwall orbited around the Wounded Coast. A scar stretched across the surface and giving it its name. 

"So you live in Hightown do you?" he asked, turning away from the stars and catwalks to study Fenris. Was he always serious and broodish? his face sat in a concentrated scowl. His eyes travel down his profile. The elve’s jaw and cheek bones were sharp and harden. A contrast to his almond eyes and pouty lips. Oh, how he would love to kiss those lips. 

And then he remembered he asked Fenris a question and missed what he said. “I’m sorry what?”    
  
Fenis shot him a scathing glare. "I said, I do. My master, former master, used to own a penthouse in one of the upper floors meant for trade partners and elite business tycoons.” he explained again, though with far more bite in his voice. “It wasn’t legal, persay. But I know a dwarf who has connections.” 

Anders leaned back against his seat, one hand petting Mr. Wiggums and the other behind his head. "I bet we know the same dwarf. I say fuck your old master. I bet you would love to do your fisty thing on him.” 

"I don't like to use that at all.” he said, rolling his eyes. He was in constant pain from them nonetheless, but he was in extra much pain when they were lit and he did it as seldom as he could possibly manage. 

It doesn't take too long for them to arrive in Hightown and finally parking his shuttle in a private docking bay. He led Anders and the robotic kitten to the elevator. It went straight to the apartment complexes. There were thirty in this section and he was the only elf to own one. 

"Hawke's family used to have a place around here, I think his uncle lost it while they lived in Ferelden." he said, making small talk. It was stiff, stilted. He wasn’t good at it. 

Anders bent over and picked up Mr. Wiggums. The platform was buzzing with life. He feared of letting go of the cat, worried he will try to run as soon the doors open.  "Fenris, can you help with my bags? I don't want to put Wiggums down and get hurt.” 

"More likely that he'll kill someone." he muttered. It wasn’t Anders’s bags were heavy. They weren’t. He just hated to accommodate for the metal feline. 

"This way." He easily guides the normal path that he always goes towards the apartment, together they take the elevator to the top floor and Fenris leans against the wall while they wait, looking at Anders thoughtfully. "Do you often dress in... dresses?" No, he couldn't quite let that go.

Anders laughed. He couldn't help it. "Maker, you really do want to see me in dress, don't you? I have three. I can change into one if you're curious how I look," he suggested.

"Justice likes it. I usually don't wear anything under my clothes anyhow. Gives a nice breeze."  He watched the elevator going up, avoiding the see through glass and the high view they were given. "What about you? You ever wore a dress?"

"That... won't be necessary. And II never wore a dress no, neither do I plan to do so." Fenris said, shaking his head. Why did the thought of the techie in dresses affected him so? 

The elevator dings at the last floor, there's only two doors here and Fenris picks the right one, unlocking with a key and a keycard, pushing it open and standing aside to let Anders in. "I will pay you money if you manages to make Hawke wear one though." That beefy man in a dress? That would be amusing.

Anders snapped his fingers. "You owe me some now." He dropped Mr. Wiggums who ran into his new home to explore and pulled out his communicator. He pulled out a holographic photo. It was of Hawke in a midnight gown, scowling straight ahead. 

"He lost a bet."

"Worth every credit,” he chuckled. Even his laughter was composed and collected. “Now, let me introduce you to your new home.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on an RP between me and Kimsywims. I tried editing the rp into a fic that flows, it's a work and progress at the moment. i will most likely come back and edit this better. But we both agreed we had to share the story.


End file.
